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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — help
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. craft — boats
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fork — in a road
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — a match
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com